“The soft aroma of old worn cotton from a linen chest, the lingering smell of tobacco on an angora sweater; Jergen's hand lotion, sauteed green peppers and onions; the sweet, nutty smell of peanut butter and bananas, the oaken smell of good bourbon. A combination of lily of the valley, cedar, vanilla, and somewhere, the lingering of old rose. These smells are older than any thought. Mama, Teensy, Neecie, and Caro, each one of them had an individual scent, to be sure. But this is the Gumbo of their scents. This is the Gumbo Ya-Ya. This is the internal vial of perfume I carry with me everywhere I go.”
― Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
― Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
“As a young child I wanted to be a writer because writers were rich and famous. They lounged around Singapore and Rangoon smoking opium in a yellow pongee silk suit. They sniffed cocaine in Mayfair and they penetrated forbidden swamps with a faithful native boy and lived in the native quarter of Tangier smoking hashish and languidly caressing a pet gazelle.”
― The Adding Machine: Selected Essays
― The Adding Machine: Selected Essays
“An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it makes a better soup.”
― A Book of Burlesques
― A Book of Burlesques
Anais ’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Anais ’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
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